Chapter 153 Arguing Again
Harriet remained unmoved. "Stop threatening me with Grandma. That won't work on me!"
Lark's chest heaved with anger.
Seeing this, Opal stepped forward and dropped to her knees in front of Harriet, kowtowing heavily. "Harriet, I'm begging you to save Lark's child. The child is innocent! He's so small, he has the right to come into this world and see it, Harriet!"
"Don't try to guilt-trip me. When your daughter hired someone to rape and kill me, she didn't think about my right to live," Harriet said coldly. "I've said it before - Lark won't escape payback, the time just hasn't come yet."
"You... you're too heartless!" Opal cried. "I'm already on my knees begging you, what more do you want!"
"If kneeling could solve problems, what would we need the police for?"
Opal became frantic. "Harriet, if you don't help today, don't blame me for what happens next! I'll go to your clinic every day with banners, let everyone know your clinic doesn't care about human lives, and ruin both your and Mr. Jones's reputations!"
Harriet actually laughed. "Sure, need me to help you order the banners?"
Seeing that neither soft nor hard tactics worked, Opal quickly crawled over to Owen. "Owen, the baby in Lark's belly is your own flesh and blood. You have to make Harriet stay and save this child!"
Owen took a puff of his cigar and looked at Harriet again. "Defying me - aren't you afraid you won't make it out of here alive?"
Harriet smiled calmly. "Since I dared to come, I'm definitely prepared to leave. If Mr. Owen Lancaster insists on burning bridges, just don't regret it."
Owen laughed out loud. "You're worthy of being the granddaughter-in-law my mother personally chose. You've got guts."
"Mr. Owen Lancaster flatters me. I'll be leaving now."
As Harriet was about to leave, Opal, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly got up and lunged at her.
"Stop! If you don't save my grandson today, don't think about walking out that door!"
Harriet's eyes turned cold. She lifted her foot and kicked Opal's knee.
Opal cried out and fell to the ground, wailing dramatically, "Murder! Murder! Help!"
Harriet ignored her and turned to leave.
In the afternoon, Haven walked into the VIP hospital room.
"Mom, what brings you here?" Gemma greeted her respectfully.
"What do you think?" Haven sat down in the chair by the bed, her expression serious. "Tristan arranged bodyguards at your door. Looks like he knows you did something wrong and is afraid you'll face revenge."
The smile faded from Gemma's face. "Mom, what are you trying to say?"
"Do I need to throw the evidence of you hiring killers to murder Griffin in your face?" Haven said coldly. "The Stewart family really has gone downhill these years - can't even find decent killers, leaving clues everywhere."
Gemma pressed her lips together, her pale face somewhat stiff. "Mom, why do you have to insult me like this?"
"If you hadn't tried to kill him, would I need to come here and insult you?" Haven was frustrated. "Gemma, if you won't think of yourself, at least think of your children and grandchildren."
"Doing such evil things - aren't you afraid it will affect future generations? Tristan and Harriet have been trying to have a baby. You might become a grandmother any day now. Don't you think about them?"
Gemma frowned. "Didn't Tristan injure his body and can't have sex?"
"No, he made up that lie to keep Harriet by his side."
Gemma was stunned for a few seconds, then laughed bitterly. "Tristan really inherited my love-brain. For Harriet, he'll do anything."
"Isn't the happiness of our children the greatest wish of us elders? Why do you have to go this far?" Haven sighed. "If you ask me, Tristan's decision is right. You should divorce Owen quickly and cleanly, and live your own life."
Gemma felt deeply humiliated, her lips trembling. "Mom, you brought Griffin back home just to drive me out of the Lancaster family, right? You like Amara and her son that much? Then what am I? What are my Tristan and Xavier!"
"Tristan is my proudest grandson, Xavier is my most indulged grandson, but Griffin - he's my most pitiful grandson. Isn't it right that I make it up to him?" Haven said. "Gemma, being good to him is actually paying back your debt."
"I don't owe him anything. What debt do I need to pay?"
"The Lancaster family owes them. You owe them. It all needs to be repaid." Haven sighed deeply. "I'm taking back the Lancaster Group shares you hold and transferring them to Griffin."
Gemma frowned. "I married into the Lancaster family over twenty years ago, gave birth to two such excellent sons, and end up with nothing?"
"Can these shares compare to what they've suffered?" Haven questioned.
Gemma laughed mockingly. "So my decision back then wasn't wrong. You liked Amara more than me, and so did Owen. So if you had known she was pregnant, you definitely would have kicked me out of the Lancaster family and let her take my place. Then it would be Tristan who spent over twenty years wandering outside before returning to the Lancaster family today!"
"Owen is scum, but I can tell right from wrong," Haven said. "How could I possibly do that to you and Tristan?"
"In this world, nothing is impossible." Gemma smiled. "So I wasn't wrong. I wasn't wrong back then, and I'm not wrong now! Both of them, mother and son, deserve to die!"
"Even now, you're still stubborn?" Haven frowned. "Fine, I tried to reason with you and you won't listen, so don't blame me for being ruthless. From now on, if you dare try to harm Griffin again, I absolutely won't let you off! Don't think you're more noble than others - everyone's life is equal."
Gemma looked at her. "Mom means that if I kill that bastard, you'll make me pay with my life?"
"A life for a life - is there a problem with that?"
"I understand now." Gemma laughed coldly. "My husband doesn't respect me, my son protects his wife, and now even my mother-in-law is abandoning me. My life has been a complete failure."
Griffin stayed in the hospital for a month before being discharged.
Haven transferred all her shares and Gemma's shares to him.
Griffin now held 20% of the Lancaster Group shares - more money than he could spend in a lifetime.
When Harriet learned that 10% of the shares came from Gemma, she had already guessed something.
Griffin sat on the sofa with a thin blanket over his legs. "Harriet, what are you thinking about?"
Harriet looked at him. "The person who tried to kill you was Tristan's mother Gemma, right?"
"I don't know." Griffin smiled gently. "Grandma told me not to bring this up again, so of course I won't ask about it or investigate."
"Even I figured it out - how could you not?" Harriet lowered her eyes. "She was clearly the victim in this marriage. Why did she turn herself into the perpetrator?"
"Harriet, human nature is complex. It can't be defined by absolute good and evil," Griffin consoled her. "Don't think about it too much. I'm fine, aren't I? And I got all these shares. If you calculate it, I came out ahead."
Harriet collected herself and looked up at him. "I know you - you're definitely not someone who cares about money."
Griffin neither confirmed nor denied it. "But I have no choice. I can only obediently take the money and keep quiet, right?"
When Harriet got home, Tristan wasn't back yet.
"Mrs. Lancaster." Rhea came forward. "Mr. Lancaster said he's working late and won't be home for dinner."
"Okay."
Harriet had no appetite and put down her knife and fork after a few bites.
She went to the study to practice medicine, then returned to her room around ten to shower and sleep.
She had just fallen asleep when a tingling sensation woke her up.
Harriet's eyes flew open to see Tristan on top of her.
Harriet quickly pushed him. "Tristan, I'm a bit tired today."
Tristan pulled down the strap on her shoulder and bit her shoulder lightly, his voice husky. "Griffin's already out of the hospital and you're still tired?"
"I'm physically tired - what does that have to do with anyone else?" Harriet frowned. "I'm not in the mood for sex today. Get off."
"Griffin got the Lancaster Group shares - aren't you happy for him?" Tristan laughed softly. "How can you not be in the mood for sex?"
"Why are you talking like that?" Harriet's frown deepened. "Don't you know perfectly well why Griffin got the Lancaster Group shares?"
"Let me ask you - did you already know that your mom harmed Griffin?"
Tristan looked up at her. "Who told you? Griffin?"
"Does anyone need to tell me? Your mom transferred all her Lancaster Group shares to Griffin - isn't that obvious enough?" Harriet couldn't hide her disappointment. "So you knew all along, didn't you? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think it was necessary to tell you." Tristan said flatly. "What could you do if I told you?"
"We're husband and wife. This involves your mother and my friend - of course you should have told me right away."
"If I had told you, whose side would you take?"
"This isn't about taking sides. This is about right and wrong."
"Right and wrong?" Tristan smiled faintly. "So I don't even need to ask - you'd help Griffin anyway. Makes sense - given your relationship with Griffin, never mind that my mom was wrong first, even if he was wrong, you'd still take his side."